Charvel Blog

Charvel continues its long-held partnerships with Warren DeMartini and Jake E Lee with the upcoming release of brand-new signature models. The Warren DeMartini USA Signature Frenchie and the Jake E Lee USA Signature Blue Burst will beunveiled this week at the Summer NAMM Show in Nashville, Tenn., and available to consumers in October 2017.

Warren DeMartini USA Signature Frenchie

Fans have long clamored for a replica of Warren DeMartini’s famed and beloved “Frenchie” guitar, as seen live on tour and on a slew of magazine covers throughout Ratt’s reign in the 1980s. Charvel has responded with the Warren DeMartini USA Signature Frenchie, available in a Snow White and a Gloss Black finish. Both are detailed with cross decals and a tribute quote to James Dean in French that translates “too fast to live, too young to die.”

Custom-made for the legendary lead guitarist, the Seymour Duncan® Warren DeMartini RTM (“Rattus Tonus Maximus”) bridge pickup is a powerful high-output humbucker that naturally compresses for a well-balanced and even tone, perfect for complex chording and precision soloing. The RTM is boosted by an SSL-4 Quarter Pound neck pickup, adding fat, supercharged punch and extra sustain.

The Frenchie also features a single volume control knob, three-way toggle switching, a Floyd Rose Original locking bridge and Gotoh® tuning machines.

Jake E Lee USA Signature Blue Burst

Jake E Lee’s original Blue Burst guitar gained notoriety during his stint with Ozzy Osbourne, as he recorded and performed live with the famous instrument throughout the band’s pivotal Bark at the Moon and Ultimate Sin years. Charvel® has recreated an unmistakable replica of Lee’s original model down to the very last detail.

Equipped with a versatile customized Seymour Duncan® JB Alnico II humbucking bridge pickup, this model can handle a diverse range of tones from sweet and warm to aggressive and distorted. It’s also supercharged with two powerful single-coil DiMarzio® SDS-1 pickups in the middle and neck for extra gain with a deeper, darker tone. The pickups are controlled with a five-way blade switch and single volume knob.

Available in a mesmerizing Blue Burst, this signature axe also features a brass Charvel hardtail bridge and output jack plate, and black Gotoh® tuning machines.

Back in April, New York-based guitar dealer the Music Zoo held a special event with RATT’s lead guitarist Warren DeMartini that is now available to the masses via new online videos.

The session was hosted by Guitar World’s Andy Aledort, and finds DeMartini in his element as he shares personal accounts of his successful career and details about his signature Charvel models. In between reminiscing and fielding questions from the fans, DeMartini also entertains the audience with jaw-dropping demos.

Watch the footage below, and see DeMartini live on RATT’s summer tour. Dates here.

Recently reunited RATT members Warren DeMartini, Juan Croucier and Stephen Pearcy caught up with radio station 98.9 The Rock during their appearance at Rockfest in Kansas City last week.

The original trio’s interview with station’s DJ Nivens included talk of their desire to head back to the studio to record a new album. While Croucier was reluctant to over-promise, lead singer Pearcy was more straightforward.

“I would love to get that done, actually. I would,” he said.

Earlier in the year, Pearcy told journalist Mitch Lafon about their plans to follow up last record Infestation.

“We want it to be brilliant, and we’re gonna take the time and effort to do it,” he explained. “We just don’t wanna go out there and … I mean, of course, we’re gonna go out there and play the hits and do what we do, but at the end of the year, we wanna start on the record.”

While fans will have wait for a future new album, they can at least catch the band live this summer on the following dates. Also, check out some great footage captured by Decibel Geek TV below of RATT’s recent performance at the Rocklahoma Festival in Pryor, Okla.

1980s glam metal legends RATT have announced a summer reunion tour featuring three of the original members, including singer Stephen Pearcy, bassist Juan Croucier and guitarist and Charvel signature artist Warren DeMartini.

Guitarist Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot) and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (White Lion, Megadeth) have joined forces with the reunited trio to complete the lineup, and played their first official show at Treasure Island in Welch, Minn., last month. Fan-filmed footage of the concert can be viewed below to get a preview of the band back in action.

RATT will hit select cities in America and Japan, and will also make an appearance at Sweden Rock Festival in June. Get the complete list of tour dates here.

Lead guitarist Henrik Danhage of Swedish progressive metal band Evergrey recently took German instrument retailer and blogger Bandist on a tour of his live rig, which includes an impressive collection of Charvel guitars.

Danhage begins with the amps, pedals and effects he uses to achieve his signature sound, dialing in the details of the channels and settings. Saving the best for last, Danhage also walks the viewer through his prized group of modified Charvel guitars that he plays exclusively.

“All-time favorite,” says Danhage. “Growing up with all the cool players, like Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini, Jake E Lee, you know a lot of those cats had Charvels. I’m so honored that I can work with them and they make me awesome guitars. I couldn’t be happier on the guitar front.”

Watch the interview with Danhage below to get all the details on what he brings to the stage.

Hundreds of fans in Japan were recently treated to a rare meeting of rock royalty, as the legendary Warren DeMartini and Jake E Lee came together for a series of clinics in Osaka and Tokyo.

In each location, DeMartini and Lee participated in two clinics per day – one for area dealers and one for fans.

During the clinics, DeMartini and Lee shared stories from their days living in a house together in Los Angeles, writing some of their bigger riffs – such as DeMartini’s “Round and Round” with RATT and Lee’s “Bark at the Moon” with Ozzy Osbourne – under the same roof.

Then, as a special treat, the guitarists demonstrated what being that room would have sounded like, playing both songs at the same time.

The legendary Warren DeMartini is slated to head to Japan soon with former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E Lee to attend a series of meet-and-greets with fans.

The duo actually share a long history together, as Lee was briefly a guitarist in RATT and his departure opened the door for DeMartini to join the band.

As DeMartini gears up to hop across the pond, Charvel.com caught up with him to talk about the sold-out events and his relationship with Lee.

Charvel.com: What can you tell us about the clinics? Have you done this before?

DeMartini: I’m very excited to spend a few days with my old pal Jake E Lee. I’ve done one clinic in Japan way back during our first or second visit there sot this is almost a first for me. We haven’t worked out what we’re going to do yet, but I think we’re going to be talking a lot about our Charvel guitars and our history with the brand. And of course, we’re going to play.

Charvel.com: How did you first get involved with Charvel?

DeMartini: I kind of happened onto it by accident. I was visiting Grover [Jackson] one day, and he was making several necks based on a classical guitar template. They were very wide and thin, and I really liked the feel of them. He made some for me, and I had those put on the Crossed Sword … and pretty much everything I was experimenting with at the time. I’ve got three or four guitars that have that template. That was the guitar I recorded “Lay It Down” with and “You’re In Love.” By then, I had a good collection of amps, and those guitars were all part of the sound back then. It was a great find, and they still sound great. I have the original within reach. (more…)

He’s back writing for his massive rock band with singer Stephen Pearcy – with a new album and tour due out this year, according to Pearcy’s official Facebook page — and he recently recorded a song with Pearcy and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl that should be finished soon.

The Grohl song was special.

The Foos recorded everything from their latest album in a lost form – analog – and that inspired Grohl to cull together a documentary in which DeMartini was featured, because he’s used the same Sound City analog boards when recording for Ratt. Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot have also recorded at Sound City.

Coming back to this setup with uber-producer Butch Vig was fun for DeMartini.

DeMartini recently sat down with Charvel.com to discuss his latest endeavors.

Charvel.com: How did you feel after recording with such an iconic setup?

DeMartini: “Ratt recorded out of the cellar at Sound City. There was another studio, but a good portion was at Sound City. Nirvana recorded there. A lot of bands did. It was very famous for its drum room, too. When it closed, they had a list of people who wanted to preserve the mixing board. Dave went out and they gave it to him, and he built a studio of his own.

“They went around and did a film about the iconic stuff that was recorded at that desk, and it’s amazing to wrap your head around everything that came out of there.”

I heard you were writing new Ratt songs with Stephen Pearcy. When can we expect new material?

“I think it will be out in 2012. We’ve been doing this a long time together (laughs). I think we know each other pretty well.”

Would you like to do another record all on analog?

“I would work on it again. The trick is finding a producer who’s in to working with analog. You find that a lot of the new crowd is used to the immediate edit capabilities that can be had. It’s a new crop of people where, little by little, analog is known less and less.”

What about with Butch Vig?

“I hope that we work with Butch again. Based on that one track, it was such a great time. He was great to work with. If he wanted to and had the time right now, it would be great.”